Efforts to develop new and effective antifungal agents are not of recent origin. Such attempts have existed in the antimicrobial art as long as the first recognition of fungal diseases in plants, animals, birds and humans. Though some beneficial antifungal agents are presently available to the public, the need still exists for more effective antifungal agents. Exemplary of prior art work in this antifungal areas are two British patents. British No. 815,538 concerns "N-Nitroso-Hydroxylamines and Fungicidal Agents"; British No. 815,537 concerns "Improvements in the Production of N-Nitroso-N-alkyl- and N-Nitroso-N-Cycloalkyl-Hydroxylamines". This work is somewhat related to the compound produced by the process of the subject invention. The British patents are not concerned with hydroxyl containing compounds other than hydroxycycloaliphatics. On the other hand, the compound produced by the subject invention process is a 1-propanol. This difference is carried into the properties of the compounds.
Another patent exemplifying the prior art is U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,978 which concerns "Salts of N-Nitroso Phenylhydroxyl Amines As Fungicides and Bactericides". Again, there is a relationship in terms of the prior art compounds and the compound produced by the process of the invention.